Food insecurity is growing among families on the Central Coast following the expiration of emergency CalFresh benefits in March.
When pandemic emergency allotments for CalFresh recipients ended, people suddenly had less money for groceries each month. Garret Olson, CEO of the SLO Food Bank, said it’s a challenging time for many families on the Central Coast.
“A lot of those that we serve are working poor families, they’re not folks looking for a hand-out, they’re folks looking for a bridge to a more self-sustaining future,” he said.
Olson said the bonus from CalFresh helped to change people’s lives, but when it ended, recipients experienced a significant budget cut during a time of high inflation.
“The emergency allotments lifted so many people, it didn’t just provide them money for food, it allowed them to then afford rent and afford healthcare and afford fuel for their car,” he said.
Olson said the Food Bank is able to meet the increased demand with help from community volunteers and local donors. They also plan ahead and shop around.
“When we purchase food, and we purchase a lot of food, we do so by looking across a national distribution of food wholesalers. We buy at a tremendous cost savings,” he said.
Andrea Keisler is the community programs director for the Food Bank. She said the need for their services peaked in May, and remains high today.
“So far this year, between January and July, it’s over 35,000 individuals each month and that’s up from about 31,500 from last year, on average,” she said.
Keisler said one-quarter of those experiencing food insecurity in SLO county are seniors and another quarter are children.
Fortunately, in California, all public school children have access to free meals during the school day.
To locate food, volunteer or donate to the Food Bank, go to SLOfoodbank.org.